Lyme disease
Lyme disease is the most common insect-borne disease in North America and Europe Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi The bacterium is transmitted by the deer tick, which feeds on the blood of animals and bites humans That's how the disease spreads
The risk of contracting Lyme disease is high if you spend a lot of time in nature, in forests where ticks are common. It is important to take preventive measures in areas where Lyme disease is prevalent
If you are given the right antibiotic therapy in the early stages of the disease, it is possible to recover quickly In the later stages, the response to treatment is less, but most patients recover after some time
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is mostly transmitted by deer ticks. The tick is brown and small in size, which makes it difficult to see them on the skin
Lyme disease is contracted through a tick bite The bacterium penetrates the skin and then circulates in the bloodstream In most cases, the tick needs to be on the skin for at least 36-48 hours to pass on the bacteria If you find a tick on your body and it is infected, it may have been a long time Removing the tick quickly reduces the risk of contracting Lyme disease
Signs and symptoms of Lyme disease affect several organ systems The skin, joints and nervous system are most often affected
Early signs and symptoms These symptoms appear within a month of infection:
- A rash A small, red bump that appears at the site of a tick bite This bump is normal for a tick bite and does not mean you have Lyme disease However, if the redness spreads in the following days in a "target" pattern (pale center and red circle), it may be erythema migrans, which is a specific sign of Lyme disease. Sometimes, the rash appears in several places
- Flu-like symptoms: fever, fatigue, body aches, and headache may accompany the rash.
Later signs and symptoms Sometimes, the rash spreads to other parts of the body. A few weeks or months after infection, you may experience:
- Pain in the joints Severe pain and stiffness in the joints may develop The knee joint is particularly commonly involved, but the pain may spread from one joint to another
- Neurological problems Weeks, months or even years after infection, inflammation of the membranes of the brain may develop - meningitis, paralysis of one part of the face (Bell's palsy), weakness or numbness in the limbs, muscle coordination disorders
- Relatively rare signs and symptoms
- A few weeks after infection, some patients have:
- Heart problems such as irregular heartbeats This symptom rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks
- Inflammation of the eye
- Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
- Severe fatigue
When to see a doctor If you have been bitten by a tick and have symptoms, see a doctor
Only a rare case of tick bites causes Lyme disease The longer the tick is on the skin, the greater the risk of infection If you think you have been bitten by a tick and have signs and symptoms (especially in an area where Lyme disease is common), see your doctor right away
Consult your doctor even if symptoms disappear It is important that the disappearance of symptoms does not mean the absence of the disease It is still recommended to see a doctor Without treatment, the disease spreads to other parts of the body and years later causes arthritis and nervous system problems Ticks also carry other infectious diseases such as babesiosis and Colorado tick fever.
